Two Worlds, Two Lives, One Love
by MusicAngel7
Summary: Hey all it's my first story ever, so here goes! In a world were humans and demons are constantly fighting and the mixing of the two races is forbidden, all hope for peace seemed impossible. Then one day, a young warrior fox demon finds a young women badly
1. The beginning of the long journey

The glistening silver snow sprinkled down from the heavens onto the cold and desolate grounds below it. The tiny snowflakes lightly sprinkled midnight black hair on a young pale woman. She pulled her parka tighter around her slim form as she marched on through the snow. Her free hand made its way up to her neck until it found its destination. Grasped tightly in her small fingers was a small deep blue colored stone.

As the wind howled ever so much more, the young woman turned her head looking all around her. As if someone was following her, she quickened her pace. The snow, now up to her knees continued to rise up.

Finally, the freezing snow became too much for her as she fell to her hands and knees. She sat there for a moment, before she let out a desperate cry. The cry was both out of misery and for help. Tears of sadness streamed down her face like a river.

A loud crash from deep in the heart of the forest caused her to jump to her feet. Fear was plainly seen on her face as she backed up into a tree. The crashes became louder and louder until there was silence. A deep voice came out of the darkness. The voice said something as darkness consumed her.

Golden rays of warmth and kindness shinned down on the earth as a new day began. The deep snow, still somewhat cold began to slowly warm up and began to turn into slush. Sunlight made its way to a deep part of the forest, where a large group of creatures began to awaken. The group of demons yawned and stretched as they began to rise with the morning sun.

There were golden brown tents of every shape and size in the area. The demons normally sleep outdoors, but because of the extreme cold the previous nights they were forced to take shelters. The large number of tents covered a good amount of the area.

One young fox demon, who has been up for a few hours now, makes his way down from the tree branch he had been sitting on. As he gracefully landed on the ground with one small leap, he shook snow out of his fiery red hair. His golden eyes seemed dazed as he walked over to a smaller female demon that began to start her morning chores.

"I'll be back later," he whispers in her ear as he races of into the forest. The female demon turned when she heard a voice behind her, but found no one there.

The young demon had been restless lately for a reason he could not understand. As he jumped from tree to tree he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell. He stopped on a tree branch to get a better sniff. It was a human, and from what he could tell a young women. She smelled heavily of blood.

Before he knew what he was doing he found himself standing in front of the young women. She lay against a large tree unconscious. Snow covered various parts of her long midnight black hair, her paled body, and her torn parka. Her long midnight black hair was fanned out around her. Her pale skin was bruised and cut in many places. Her face was thin, so she had not eaten in a good number of days. She wore a thin fur parka that was falling apart in many places.

The young demon studied her intently. Most demons would either eat a human this badly wounded or leave them where they lay. In the present world they lived in demons thought little of humans and despised them with a passion, while the humans feared and loathed demons. The two groups just didn't mix and when they did they were disowned by both races.

He kneeled a few feet in front of her, praying she would not wake. Not only would the cold snow killer her if she stayed this way much longer, but her wounds and the lack of food would too.

The young fox demon rose slowly and made his way from the area when something tugged at him. It was not a physical pull, but more of an inner feeling that could not be explained. Whatever it was, it was pulling him back to the woman. A part of him that he did not know existed told him to save the woman.

He hesitated for a moment before he made his way back over to her. Why was he giving this a second thought?

_She looks absolutely delicious, _his inner demon told him.

_She is a human; _he told himself and his inner demon.

_Why not just eat her now, _the demon asked.

_Just shut up,_ he said shaking away any vial thoughts the demon might have put in his head.

When his head was cleared and he could think properly he reached out for the human ever so slowly, almost expecting her to awaken at any point and tell him to get lost. When she had made no movement still, he placed an arm underneath her head and one underneath her upper legs and slowly brought her to his chest.

As he held her in his lap, his nosed checked to make sure she was alive and was not the mate of another. For a male to touch another's mate would cause much trouble and chaos.

_She is alive and has not been claimed by anyone, _he thought with a sigh of relief.

As he rose gently, he shifted the human female, so he held her in his arms bridal style and made sure she was comfortable. When he was content with her placement in his arms he began to speed off, back into the forest to where his clan was. While he raced from tree to tree he would occasionally look at the sleeping beauty in his arm.

_Why_, he thought, _am I saving this mere mortal?_ He had not been feeling like his normal self lately, but this was the most peculiar.

_What_, he thought, _will_ _happen when the clan finds out?_

The young demon landed with grace at the clearing not long later with the unconscious woman still resting peacefully in his arms. The young female fox demon that he had talked to briefly before smiled when she looked up at him, but when she saw what he was carrying she did nothing to hid the look of disgust and shock that was now etched on her face. She hurried over to him as others began to crowd around.

"Who is she?" one said

"Is she your prey? If so do share some, for she looks positively delicious!" Another said with hunger written in his eyes. The young female fox demon pushed through the crowd until she stood in front of the others.

"Brother, what is the meaning of this?" she inquired. Many eyes stared at the fox demon intently, all waiting for an explanation and a good one at that. The fox demon inhaled before he began to speak.

"I was making my way through the woods when I caught this woman's scent. I found her lying in the forest as you see her now. I know not as to why I saved her, but what I know is she needs medical help quickly or she will not live much longer."

"Brother, why help a human? Are they not what we feast on and is it not they who slaughter our people by the hundreds everyday? You tell us to help you save a human whom we know nothing about. I ask you, why?"

"I have had a strange feeling lately that I cannot explain, but I feel this young woman has something to do with it. I want to find out a little about this human, before she dies. If any of you hurts or eats her you will have to answer to me." As he said this a murmur went among the crowd. A large dog demon stepped forward as the crowd hushed.

"If you wish us to help this human than we will, but know that if she does anything to betray us, nothing can stop us from hunting her down."

The young fox demon smiled as he carried the woman away from the crowd, to a group of tents. Once inside a fair sized tent he laid her down on a soft pile of blankets. He turned his head when he sensed another presence in the room. His sister stood at the door with a dazed look on her face. The fox demon turned his attention back to the human that lay before him. She was badly bleeding and would have to be shed of the clothes she wore in order to tend to her wounds.

"Get out of the way, so I can strip her of her filthy clothes," his sister said shoving him out of the way.

He smiled as he moved to the side in order to watch what would happen. The female demon gazed at the human for a moment with large curious golden brown eyes.

"Brother, I need you assistance for a moment, so please come over here. I need you to hold the maiden while I remove her bloody clothes," the demoness stated after much pondering.

Her brother kneeled next to his sister and waited for further instructions. Once they were given he carefully put his clawed hands underneath the woman's neck and lower back and placed her in his lap, so her back was to his chest.

His sister's delicate hands carefully removed the maiden's parka, 2 layered kimono, and undergarments. The only thing that remained was the young woman's deep blue colored necklace. Knowing humans and their lust for money and jewels, she decided to leave it, so when the woman awakened she would not lash out at them.

While removing the human's clothes she made sure to not scrap the woman's skin any more than it already was. The young woman had already lost too much blood, even a demon would faint for lack of blood.

"She has lost a great deal of blood and her wounds appear to be getting worse," the female demon said while reaching out for a bowl of water and towel that lay off to the side, "you will need to hold her for me while I clean and treat her wounds."

While his sister had been removing the maiden's clothing he could feel his inner demon inside growing restless. The woman was very beautiful even underneath all the dirt and blood that soaked her body. Had she been a demon and they met under different circumstances he would have wished to mate her.

_Human girl is beautiful and make good mate, _his inner demon thought.

_The mating of humans and demons is forbidden in our clan, _he told his inner demon.

"Though she may be a human, I do don't wish for you to get any perverted ideas and if you touch her in any way that you would not touch our mother than I promise I will make you suffer." The demoness threatened, sending a glare towards her brother. When he heard his sister speak he almost jumped out of his skin, but when he heard her threat he shivered. His sister may be younger than him by 3 years, but she could be dangerous when she wanted to be.

"You have this fox demon's promise," he replied seriously.

The demoness stared at him intently and unblinking for a moment, before she became satisfied with his reply and got back to work. She took the small cloth and dipped half of it into the cold water. After it had soaked for a moment, she brought it back out to squeeze out most of the excess water.

Gently she dabbed the wet cloth against the woman's face, but froze when the woman moaned slightly. The moan was quiet and when no more sounds came from her, the female demon began to wipe away dirt from her face.

_I have to admit for a human, she is very beautiful, _thought the other female.

She proceeded to gently wipe away the blood from the human's body, pondering all the while.

_She was wearing a double-layered kimono when Katsu found her, which means she is of some form of royalty _the sister thought.

"Katsu?" the female demon questioned.

While his sister had been working, Katsu's mind began to wander. What was a female human doing so far out in the forest on a night such as that? The snow had been pouring down on the earth relentlessly for the past few days, so no humans dared travel in such weather. Another thing that had him curious was what was a noble woman doing out there alone? When he looked up at the sound of her voice the demoness continued speaking.

"I'm sure you have noticed by now that this woman was wearing a double-layered kimono, which signalizes royalty in both the demon and human world. Her beauty matches that of a royal too. My question is why was she out in the forest so far by herself? Do the humans not guard their royals like mother's do their young?" she said proceeding the apply medicine to the wounds.

"I ponder over the same thing and have come up with nothing." The frustrated demon replied.

The two remained silent as the younger sister finished cleaning the human's wounds and put thick bandages on all of them. The wounds she possessed were very deep and still bleeding, so they would have to change them constantly. Bandages covered most of her body.

"That should do it for the time being. Her wounds are very bad, so someone is going have to change them quite often. As for the issue of clothing, for the time being she can borrow one of my spare kimonos." The younger demon said after much time. She placed a thick blanket over the human's body and turned to leave when she said.

"I will be back soon with some spare kimonos for her to wear, so in the mean time you may lay her down on the mat," she said before she left.

When they demoness left the tent, she came face to face with a large group of demons, all of whom had most likely been ease dropping on what ever was said inside the tent.

"Ease dropping? That is even low for a human to do, so scatter or you will have to deal with a very pissed off demon," the female fox demon warned, which caused the other demons to run for safety.

Much time later after the female fox demon had returned with the promised kimonos, the brother and sister carefully put one onto the sleeping maiden and laid her back down onto the mat.

While the woman remained in a deep slumber for about three days, Katsu never once left the tent she lay in. His sister made many trips in and out of the tent to get more bandages or tell their fellow clan members an up date on her current condition.

Companions of Katsu searched the area where the woman had been found, for other humans whom might have heard of the woman. When the humans they found did not run away in terror or try to kill them, the demons asked many questions and gave a description of her, but none had heard of the sleeping maiden.

The leaders of their clan discussed and argued over many questions and things related to the woman. Once she was healed, should they leave her or help her find her people? Though they may be demons they were not as rude and heartless as other demons. Somehow this one woman, who had been slumbering since they first met her, was able to cause so much chaos without even being awake.

The young woman began to moan as warm golden rays streamed into the tent, gently rousing her. She squinted a little before finally opening her icy blue eyes that held no expression as she gazed around at her surroundings. Pain shot through her body the moment she tried to move.

"You have very deep wounds covering your entire body, so I would relax for the time being if I were you. We spent a good amount of time cleaning and bandaging those wounds, so it would be a pity if all that work went to waste by you opening your wounds up," A voice said.

The maiden turned her head slightly to see a young fox demon sitting next to her. He had fiery red hair tied back into a small ponytail and his fluffy tail, which appeared to be a good few feet long was a light brown color. The demon's skin was slightly tan. Like many other demons he had pointed ears. The young woman looked up into his golden eyes and saw worry and concern.

The demon wore a kimono of a deep blue color and the inner layer of the kimono was white. It was very simple, but from what she could tell it was most likely very strong. The sleeves were bell shaped and hung much longer than his arms did. The bottom of his pants clutched to his ankle, reveling his bare feet.

"When I found you in the forest you were badly wounded and unconscious. I brought you back to where my clan has been staying for a few days now and tended to your wounds, with the help of my younger sister. You have been in a deep slumber for about three or four days now." He said gazing at her.

She turned away from him as she slowly began to rise, but with much trouble. Two strong arms grabbed her and helped her get into a sitting position. When the strong arms let go of her, she turned to face a pair of golden eyes again.

"Take it easy or you'll open up your wounds again. At first we had to change you bandages every hour, because the bleeding was so bad. If we had not found you, you would most likely be dead now," he said with concern in his voice.

The maiden looked down at herself to see that underneath the kimono she wore bandages consumed her body. Looking up slowly she replied to him with a voice so quiet only a demon would be able to hear her.

"Thank you for your kindness sir, but I have nothing to give to you in return," she said quietly. He looked at her in shock for a moment, before he let out a large laugh.

"We demons care not for humanly possession like the rest of your kind does. I saved you, because I wanted to. When I saw you in the forest there was something to you that intrigued me," the demon said smiling at her.

_Who is this demon_, she thought, _he saved me and yet he wants nothing in return_.

She sat trying to figure the demon out when he spoke again.

"Now if you wouldn't mind I have a few questions for you, like who are you and what happened to you?"

"Who am I?" the woman said repeating him. She thought for a moment, trying to remember, but to her shock she could not. She could not remember anything about herself or where she had come from.

_Why can't I remember anything,_ she thought with terror.

As she thought harder the demon stared at her in curiosity. He could smell her fear and worry as she brought her hands to her head. After a few moments she spoke again.

"I am sorry, but I know not of whom I am or where I come from. I tell you the truth when I say this. If I did remember anything I would gladly to tell you," as she spoke tears came to her eyes. As the tears began to flow she pulled her knees to her chest.

When the woman began to cry the demon started to get nervous. He had not intended to make her cry and he knew not what to do. He began to panic until his sister walked into the tent.

"Brother what have you done now? Making an innocent woman cry is even below you. You should be ashamed," she said with hate in her voice.

"He did nothing to upset me, so do not flare at him. I merely overreacted and I am sorry for that," the human said looking up. She made a few more sniffling noises, before her tears stopped running.

There in front of her was a young female fox demon. She appeared to be a few years younger than her older brother, but she was still very beautiful. Like her brother she had red hair, but hers was more of a cinnamon color and there eyes were almost identical. The male demon's face showed little emotion, while the female's had a certain kindness to it. Her skin was slightly tanned like the other demon and she wore a simple kimono like he did. The female fox demon wore a light purple kimono, with a white under kimono. The obi was a light shade of pink, like a peach. All over the kimono stars and moons were sown in.

"Oh, how rude of me to come barging in here and not introducing myself. My name is Kirei and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." The female demon said holding out her hand enthusiastically. The other woman stared at it for a moment like it was death its self, before she shook it.

"It's a great pleasure to meet one such as your self, Kirei. If I remember my name I would gladly tell you."

"You don't remember anything? What a tragedy that is. Well until you find out than we will have to come up with something to call you by. Brother, what do you think we should call her by?" Kirei said turning to her brother. The demon blushed for a moment, before he quickly turned his head to the side.

"Why ask me? It's not going to be my name, so what do I care," he said trying to hide the fact that his face was still red.

"Do not mind my elder brother over there. He may seem a bit rude and uncaring at sometimes, but he is really a great guy." Kirei said smiling. At that the young woman couldn't help but giggle. Her laugh was sweet and pure.

"I've got it! Until we figure out what your real name is you shall be known as Emiko. In my people's language it means beautiful, so it fits you perfectly. Don't you think so brother?" The brother demon turned to look at the human for a moment.

"Like I said earlier it does not matter to me. What do you say stranger shall you be known as Emiko or shall you go on without a name?" The young women blushed when she realized that she had just been called beautiful.

"I am flattered that you would give me such a beautiful name and will use it with pride." The young woman said pleased with her new name.

"My guess is that you are famished, seeing as you have been asleep for a good many days now. I'll be back in a little while with something for you to eat. Until then!" the young lass said as she left as suddenly as she came.

"Your sister is very sweet and kind," Emiko said turning to face the demon, "you must be proud to have someone like her for a sister."

The young demon jumped when he heard Emiko speak to him. Her voice was as gently as the purr of a kitten and as beautiful as a bird's song in the early morning. When she looked at him with her playful crystal blue eyes he began to blush again.

_How is she_ _able to do that to me_, he thought. Demons showed little or no emotion and yet she was able to make him blush so easily.

"She's alright I guess," the demon said trying to gain his composure again. The young maiden let out a small chuckle when she noticed this.

"I'm sorry to laugh, but I could not help myself. That reminds me I don't believe I ever caught your name."

"Katsu."

"Your name is Katsu? Well it is an honor to meet you!" She said holding out her hand enthusiastically. Katsu shook it for a moment, before he stuffed his hand back into the sleeve of his kimono.

Emiko grabbed her chest and let out a cry of pain, causing Katsu to jump to her side. He allowed her body to fall into his arms as she continued to let out cries of pain.

"Emiko! Emiko! What is wrong? Where is the pain? Please speak to me!" Katsu cried out worrying over the young maiden.

After a few moments the cries turned into small whimpers. She looked up at the demon with teary eyes. Her head slowly let go of her chest as she spoke again.

"I'm sorry to have worried you again, but I'm alright now. I must have just over done it or laughed a little too much," she said with a small smile.

Though she said she was fine, the demon still gazed at her with worried eyes. When she tried to get out of his grasp he only held on tighter, causing her to become frustrated. This demon was not going to let her go and she was determined to get out of his grasp.

"Now didn't I warn you about getting perverted ideas?" A voice said jokingly from the entrance to the tent.

Both demon and human looked up to see Kirei carrying a tray of many different foods and drinks. A smile was etched on her face from one ear to another. Kirei had a way of appearing at the worst moments possible. Both human and demon began to blush a furious color of red.

"I would never sleep with a human if that is what you were thinking, Kirei," Katsu said turning his head away, while muttering under his breath "damn bitch"

"Ah ha. You keep telling yourself that, but while you two are snuggling how about we fatten you up Miss Skeleton. I can't possible imagine how you have survived so long without food. Even a demon such as me would begin to grow hungry after so long," joked the demoness.

She made her way over the two, who still were unusual shades of red, and knelt beside them placing the tray down next to the mat. On the tray were different kinds of pain relievers, water, soup, and other things to help the maiden regain her strength.

Katsu, now holding the maiden in his lap, reminded himself to hurt his sister later for her little comment. While Emiko looked over the foods, Katsu, couldn't help but think how nice it felt to have this woman in his arms, but quickly shook those thoughts away.

_Katsu, get a hold of yourself, she is a human remember,_ he thought.

Emiko smile when she saw how much work had been put into gathering and preparing the food. There was an excess amount of food on there and the thought of consuming it all made her sick. Did these demons not realize that she was only human?

"I know I brought a lot of food options, but I have a few good reasons for that. For starters you haven't eaten anything for a good three days! There is also the fact that you are badly wounded and will need much food and rest to recover. Also, I had no idea what you do or don't like, so I just grabbed a little bit of everything. I'm almost positive that eating might be a little painful, so I brought pain relievers and I advise you eat slowly," Kirei stated. Kirei picked up on of the pain relievers and glass of water and handed it to Emiko, who took it with shaky hands.

Emiko gazed at the medicine for a moment, studying it, like it was some unsolved riddle. She placed the medicine in her mouth, swallowed, and made a funny face, while doing so. She quickly guzzled the water as fast as her body would let her.

"Slow down or you'll wind up killing yourself," Katsu said when she started to choke.

"Can I help it if the pain reliever tastes horrible?" Emiko replied, still gulping for air. Katsu gently patted her back until her coughs had quieted.

Emiko put the glass to the side after a few more sips and unsuccessful tries of getting rid of the awful taste. The pain reliever tasted like acid or cow manure, and it burned her throat.

"Excuse me if I may seem rude, but are you trying to kill me?" questioned the human.

"Darling, if I had wanted to kill you I would have done that will you were asleep and I would have done it with my own two hands and not some poison," the fox demoness said sternly.

"Why thank you, I feel so much safer now that we got that figured out!" replied the maiden sarcastically. At that the two women laughed, while a certain fox demon sat very confused. Unlike the woman whom knew what the other said was a joke, he thought they were serious.

"Katsu, is something wrong, dear brother?" the young female demon said once her giggles were under control.

"You woman scare me, even when you aren't in your time of the month." Katsu stated. The two women turned a bright red color before the female demon yelled at him, "How dare you say something like that!" She picked up an empty wooden cup and threw it at his face and made a small cheer when it hit its target.

Katsu had no idea what he had said to make his sister so mad, and was not expecting to have a wooden cup fly towards his face. He had no time to move out of the way, so he winced as the hard object crashed into his face.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" he growled.

"Teaching you a lesson about minding a female's special needs and emotions!"

"Wench!"

"Bastard!"

"Bit…." Katsu was in mid sentence when he heard a light snoring sound, and looked down to see Emiko had fallen asleep in his arm. The demon laid the maiden down gently on the matt and pulled the covers up on her, before he followed his sister out of the tent.

"How a human managed to fall asleep through all that yelling is beyond me," his sister stated when they were seated outside of the tent. Katsu nodded his head when his sister spoke, while he watched the sun slowly make its way across the mid morning sky.

As the moon started to make its way across the night sky the group of demons began to go to their sleeping places. One extremely tired fox demon made his way to a large tent. He had spent a good part of the afternoon trying to force medicines down Emiko's throat. After she had fallen asleep she had begun to cry out in her sleep and when they tried to awaken her, she would continue to slumber in her nightmares. When the sun began to disappear in the horizon, Katsu left Emiko in Kirei's care so he might stretch his sore limbs and get fresh air.

When Katsu entered the tent he saw a group of male demons being pampered and waited on by female demons. When the demons before him acknowledged his presence he gave a quick bow before he walked in more. There before him was a dog, wolf, cat, panther, and fox demon.

In his clan all the demons lived as equals, but since there were so many demons they appointed a leader for each kind of demon. The strongest of each kind was made the leader and they watched over the rest of the clan. It had been like that for as long as any of them could remember.

"Tell us Katsu what you have learned about the female human," the great dog demon said.

"The human girl was badly injured and would have died if she had not been treated to when we did. What ever happened to her caused her to lose her memories and haunts her dreams. I'm almost positive that she tells no lies. She is no threat to us and is unlike any other human I've seen. It was decided that until she regains her memories that she shall be known as Emiko," replied the young demon nervously. The elder demons sat there pondering for a moment, before the wolf demon spoke.

"So what are your intentions? Emiko, or whatever it was you said, will not remain in her present condition forever and the clan will grow restless."

"You can not expect us to take in a human just like that," the cat demon said to the other demons. The leaders started to talk amongst themselves, occasionally shouting or shaking fists. While they argued Katsu remained where he was; waiting for them to come to a conclusion.

"Katsu we have come to this conclusion. If you wish for the human to remain with the clan then so be it, but we have a few condition. If she is to remain with us then she must abide by our laws and live like we do. If she betrays us then we will punish her like we would any other demon. Emiko may stay until she either regains her memories. Is that understood?" the fox demon said once they leaders were done discussing the matters.

The young fox demon had been expecting them to cast away Emiko, but to his surprise they didn't. For some reason this human had affected them as well and she would be allowed to stay. Katsu smiled slightly when he realized all of this.

"I understand completely," Katsu said bowing slightly. After he said he goodbyes and bowed once more he left the tent and headed on his way. As he walked through the quiet night he thought of what had happened and what the future might hold for him.

Emiko slowly started to stir as the morning sun once again roused her from her deep slumber. As she slowly rose to a sitting position she looked around herself trying to remember what had happened. Katsu, the fox demon was sitting close to her and from what she could tell he was asleep.

She recalled little bits and pieces of the night before, but most of it was a blur. After she had fallen asleep, she had gone into a deep slumber that seemed to control her. Nightmares caused her to wake up screaming, but still be half asleep. Katsu remained by her side the whole night through thick and thin, or at least it seemed like it.

When she tried to turn to face him better terrible pain shot through her entire body, causing her to cry out. She would rather die than suffer this pain another moment. As Emiko grabbed her stomach the demon beside her woke suddenly.

Katsu had fallen asleep after keeping watch over the young maiden for many hours. After forcing medicine down her throat for many hours he was exhausted, so it was a shock that he had been able to stay up at all. When he heard a cry of pain he awoke abruptly thinking that Emiko was being attacked. He let out a sigh of relief for a second when he realized she was somewhat safe, but began to panic when he saw her clutching her stomach. He moved to her side and grabbed her shoulders to steady the now shaking woman.

"Emiko are you ok?" questioned a concerned Katsu. Fear was etched in his eyes and he held the woman in his arms.

"Thank you for your worry Katsu, but I'm fine. Really I'm fine." Emiko replied once the pain began to subside. Even though she said she was fine Katsu did not let go of Emiko and still worried over the young maiden.

"I promise I'm fine. I probably sat up to abruptly and caused my sore muscles to over react or pulled on a recovering wound. I'm sorry for scaring you if I did," the maiden said trying to calm the worried demon.

Hesitating, he ever so slowly released her delicate body from his powerful grasp and gently laid her back down on the blankets. When she lay in a comfortable position facing him, she drew the blankets up to her chin like a child would during a storm.

"How did you sleep last night?" questioned the demon, when she had stopped stirring.

"I recall myself waking up a few times through out the night, but when I did most of it was a blur. I'm deeply sorry if I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it. I was going to be getting up soon, so you actually helped me and I thank you for that." Emiko giggled at his comment. He was trying to be such a gentlemen and he was doing a pretty good job. She stopped laughing when she heard her stomach start to rumble.

"It appears my stomach is hungry," giggled the young woman. The demon sighed as he stood to leave, when he replied, "Stay put and I'll go find something for you."

While Katsu was gone looking for food, Emiko pondered a few thoughts. She wondered why this man had saved her. For one, he was a full fledged demon and from the conversations she had heard outside of her little tent she could tell demons and humans did not mix well.

Emiko also wondered as to why demons and humans did not get along well together. She, Katsu, and Kirei were getting along together just fine, or maybe they were just being nice because of her current condition.

As Emiko thought about these ideas and much more she began to grow restless. Though she was badly wounded, she longed to see the sun face to face again and feel the wind dance across the meadow.

When she rose again she looked down to see she wore nothing but bandages across her chest. As she looked at the damage on her thin form she saw something that caught her eye. A deep blue shaded necklace hanging around her neck that seemed oddly familiar. Emiko made a mental note to herself to ask Katsu and Kirei if they knew about it.

Emiko looked around the room slowly, until her eyes fell onto a kimono lying in the corner. She slowly inched her body closer and closer to it, not wanting to repeat early events. The kimono was gorgeous. The inner layer was a light blue color that was almost identical to the color of her eyes. The outer layer of the kimono was a water blue color, with a most intriguing pattern. On the front lower flap of the kimono was a silver fox demon etched into the kimono.

When Emiko slowly picked up the kimono the silver obi that goes with it fell to the ground. On it was the same design as the kimono. Both layers of the kimono were made out of an almost silk like material, but felt very strong at the same time. Lying next to the kimono was a pair of wooden sandals. Emiko didn't know if it'd be right for her to take the clothes, but either way she needed to get out of the tent and nothing was going to stop her.

While Emiko was decided whether or not to borrow the kimono Katsu was searching the camp high and low for the one female that could help him. Since humans and demons did not interact together all that often, he had no idea as to what humans preferred to eat and what they could eat. He also knew that females tended to be a tad bit picker on what they ate.

Though his sister, like all his other clan members were still unsure and upset about caring for a human, he knew she would help. Kirei may not like something, but she would most always help. It was this quality that he loved the most about his sister.

As he scanned tent after tent and grouping after grouping he began to pick up a certain scent. Fear consumed him when he recognized the scent. Emiko had left the safety of his tent and was now wandering about the area. As to how she had to strength to move he did not know. Katsu immediately turned in the direction that her scent was the strongest and followed it.

After much debating Emiko decided that wearing the kimono would be fine as long as Katsu did not find out. Katsu had been very kind to her and she did not want to do anything to upset him or get him mad at her. She also decided that the kimono must have been set out for her, for it fit her almost perfectly.

As she stepped out of the tent her legs wobbled for a moment or two, before she gained her balance. The sun that she had been denied of seeing for so long shone down brightly on her as she took her first few steps.

When she had balanced herself Emiko gazed around herself with wonder. She had no idea the tent she had been staying in was part of such a large grouping. There were tents of all sizes in every direction and demons of every kind. The sights, sounds, and smells excited her to a point where she thought she might burst.

Emiko pondered for a moment as to where to start her adventure. After a moment of thinking, she decided to just wing it and set out on the path that lead straight in front of her. As she walked demons looked at her with curiosity and disgust written on their faces. Though some of the demons were rude, she smiled at every single one of them.Eventually her feet lead her to a large tent at the edge of the camp. She pondered over what it could be or who could live in it. When the flap to the tent opened she jumped and worried that she had done something wrong. Out of the tent came an older looking fox demon.

He had golden hair, but his eyes were a hazel color. His tail, which was the same golden color, was much fluffier and longer than Katsu's. The demon had his tail wrapped around his waist and it went over his right shoulder. His kimono was white, while the obi was gold and etched on the lower front part of the kimono was the same fox demon pattern that was on her kimono. At the demon's waist was a sword.

Emiko brought her face up to get a better look at the demon's face. He appeared to be in his late adult years, but at the same time he looked very strong and the kind of person you wanted to befriend. His eyes stared at her intently.

"I'm so sorry sir if I was intruding, but my curiosity got the better of me. When I saw the large tent I just had to get a better look. Please forgive me," Emiko sputtered out quickly, while giving a deep bow. The demon gazed at the young maiden with curiosity.

"So you are the young human that everyone is talking about. We have never had a human in our presence before and many of us have never met a live human face to face before. So tell me young maiden what is your name?" the demon stated.

"I unfortunately remember nothing of my past or of who I am, but one of your comrades has given me the name Emiko for the time being," nervously replied the young woman.

"Well my lady Emiko, if you would please grant me the pleasure of occupying me I have something I'd like to show you."


	2. Adventures

Emiko brought her face up to get a better look at the demon's face. He appeared to be in his late adult years, but at the same time he looked very strong and the kind of person you wanted to befriend. His eyes stared at her intently.

"I'm so sorry sir if I was intruding, but my curiosity got the better of me. When I saw the large tent I just had to get a better look. Please forgive me," Emiko sputtered out quickly, while giving a deep bow. The demon gazed at the young maiden with curiosity.

"So you are the young human that everyone is talking about. We have never had a human in our presence before and many here have never met a live human face to face before. So tell me young maiden what is your name?" the demon said with an emotionless voice.

"I unfortunately remember nothing of my past or of who I am, but one of your comrades has given me the name Emiko for the time being," nervously replied the young woman.

"Well my lady Emiko, if you would please grant me the pleasure of accompanying me I have something I'd like to show you." The demon said, showing no emotions.

_Should I go with him, _Emiko thought. All she had wanted to do was stretch her aching and sore muscles, and she had no idea who this guy was.

_He could mean trouble, _her inner self told her.

_Or he could be kind, _she told herself.

_Ha! Don't make me laugh. Have you forgotten that demons and humans hate each other?_ Her inner self stated.

_Just shut up and go away, _Emiko said shaking her head slightly. When she looked up the demon was already walking away. Without a second thought Emiko ran quickly after him, only slowing when she was by his side.

As they slowly made their way through the camps, Emiko saw the way the other demons peered at them. At first glance of her they would send looks of disgust her way, but when they saw the demon she was walking with they quickly scurried off. The young maiden would occasionally look up at the stranger demon next to her, trying to figure him out, but his face showed no emotions.

After a good amount of walking the demon lead her out into the woods. At first Emiko was unsure, for all she knew he could be leading her to her death. All uncertain thoughts were put to the side as the duo pressed onward, deep into the forest.

Emiko staggered a few times as she tripped on branches and vines, but immediately pulled herself together and kept on marching through. She would, under no circumstances appear weak in the eyes of anyone, especially this demon. Emiko was determined to show these demons that she was not just some ordinary, everyday, greedy human, who couldn't survive by themselves.

"We are here, human, so you can rest now," the demon said after the longest time, as he stood at the edge of a cliff. Emiko slowly made her way to his side and gasped. Before them was a beautiful valley, where the trees were many gorgeous colors of greens. Fields of freshly bloomed flowers were everywhere. The signs of a snow storm having been there just a few days ago were impossible to find.

"It's beautiful," was all Emiko could say as she feels to her knees. The sight was absolutely breathtaking.

"I had no idea you humans could enjoy nature's beauty like this, for you seem far too busy trying to destroy it," the demon said, not taking his eyes from the valley. Emiko let out a small gasp at his comment. She couldn't tell if he was serious or joking, but something told her better then to ask.

"Humans and demons are not that different, or at least from what I can tell. Do we not all feel emotions, cry, laugh, feel happiness? I don't know why the demons and the humans fight, but I find that it is very silly in my opinion," replied the human, shocking the demon before her.

_Katsu was right, she is not like any other human we have seen before, _the demon thought.

"You are very wise for someone, whom has lost all their memories."

"It does not take much thinking or memories for that matter to see that this fighting is pointless," Emiko said trying to keep her anger under control.

_You must not make a fool of yourself in front of this demon. He is just testing you or trying to get underneath your skin, so stay strong, _she ordered herself.

"Sir demon, if I may ask a question?" asked Emiko, when she realized something.

"Yes?"

"I have just come to realize that I have been dragged all through the forest by a demon, who's name I have not yet been told."

"My name is Kurai and I am the leader of the fox demons here in this clan, whom has been caring for you these past few days." The demon lord said with pride. In his clan the strongest were made leader of each group of demon, so it was an honor to be given such an important position.

Emiko quickly rose to her feet when he introduced himself, and she held out her hand enthusiastically.

"It is a pleasure to meet you my lord," replied the young female, still holding out her hand. As the demon slowly held out his clawed hand, a loud shout was heard from the forest, and from what they could tell it was getting closer.

"Emiko!" a raspy and almost hysterical voice shouted. Kurai immediately recognized the voice and chuckled, as the young human girl stood perplexed.

When Katsu had realized Emiko was gone, he panicked for reason unknown to him. She was after all a weak, defenseless, selfish, and rude human after all, so why should he care. This woman was giving him nothing but problems and it frustrated him.

The woman's scent soon mixed in with another scent, which caused him to panic even more. Kurai, the leader of the fox demons in his clan was with the human. He could only imagine the trouble she was getting herself into. The demon leader was kind, but could be very fierce at times.

Katsu continued to follow the scents, deep into the woods until he came to a clearing. When Emiko's scent became stronger, he bellowed her name as loud as his lungs would let him. Emiko and Kurai stood at the edge of the cliff, looking at him like he had the black plague or something along those means.

"Emiko are you ok?" asked the young fox demon when he came to stand by the duo. He sniffed the woman slightly, finding that she was unharmed. Besides being on the tired side and the wounds she had when they first found her, she was just fine from what he could tell.

"I'm just fine Katsu," The woman said smiling at him, "Kurai-sama here merely wanted to show me something, and I wanted to stretch out my sore limbs."

"As you can see Katsu, the human girl is unharmed and in good spirits, so you may end this fury of yours." The elder fox demon said.

"Father, why did you bring her out here?" questioned the younger fox demon. Bewildered by what he just said, Emiko looked from the younger demon to the older demon. They carried some of the same facial features, but the resemblance was very weak.

_Did he just say father_, Emiko wondered.

"Excuse me, but did you just say father?" Emiko managed to say, still looking at the two in shock.

"Is something wrong human?" the elder demon questioned.

"No, I guess I never expected someone like Katsu to be your son, and for that I ask for your forgiveness," Emiko said, taking a deep bow to show she was sorry if she had offended them. The two demons stared at the woman in wonder and curiosity. Any anger or tension that might have been there had disappeared.

After studying the human for a moment, Kurai gracefully turned on his heel and made his way to the forest, not bothering to utter any words as to why he was leaving. Kurai, was known to just leave without a say as to why he was leaving or where he was going to. He mostly did this in frustrating meetings with other demon "lords", leaving them there to rip out each other's throats.

"Did I say something to offend him?" questioned the human, when the fox demon elder left the area suddenly.

"No, it's just his nature. Ever since I could remember he would do that whenever he had many thoughts on his mind, or for no apparent reason." Katsu said in a matter of fact way. The demon turned to look at the female again, to see that she was smiling at him with such a warm and pleasant face.

"We should probably get going now, Kirei is probably worried sick about you," the demon lied. The silence and her smile were starting to make him uncomfortable, so he desperately wanted to get back to camp. He turned his back to her and kneeled on the ground, so he could carry her back. He figured after all that walking, she probably had no strength left to make the trip back. It amazed him that she was able to make it this far, without needing assistance.

When Emiko heard Katsu reply, she smiled. Kurai might seem a little scary and mysterious, but she could tell deep down that he was a really kind person. The demons back in the camp, from what she could tell, respected him and would do anything he said.

"Excuse me Katsu, but may I ask what you are doing," she asked when she saw him kneel on the ground. Had she missed something while her mind had been wandering?

"You'll slow me down if you walk, so it will be much easier and faster if I carry you. Get on, before I change my mind." Katsu said, getting slightly annoyed. Emiko inched slowly over to him and hesitated, before he told her to move it while he was still young. Emiko climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. When she was settled and he had a good hold on her, Katsu rose from the ground and began to speed off in to the forest.

Emiko was not used to the speed at which demons moved, so when Katsu quickly made his way back to camp she let out a small shriek, but quickly stopped when she remembered his sensitive hearing. She must be strong and just ignore the fact that her stomach was doing flip flops. At the speed they were moving at, she would only have to act strong for bit longer.

Katsu tightened his hold on Emiko's legs when he heard her shriek. Her shriek hurt his sensitive, demon ears, but the pain stopped when the shrieking stopped. Katsu cursed under his breath for not remembering that humans were not used to such speeds, so it was no wonder that she was scared.

The rest of the trip back was a silent and peaceful one. Katsu pretended to be concentrating on getting them back, without distractions. Emiko on the other hand, after getting over the speed they were moving at, was simply enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature's gardens.

Everything with Kurai had some secret meaning, so why had he brought a human so far out into the forest. It took all of Katsu's will power, to not burst out laughing at the idea of Kurai wanting to enjoy the beautiful scenery with a human. Kurai must have been testing Emiko, to see if she was a threat or not to the clan.

While Katsu silently carried Emiko back to camp, she felt at peace for some reason. Katsu had some way of making her feel safe, calm, and like she belonged there. As to how he did this, she didn't know. It could be the fact that it was he whom saved her, or maybe she was just overly tired. The walk up there had taken a lot out of her.

"Katsu?" whispered a voice, no louder than a mouse.

"Hmmm?"

"I was just wondering….well I've been thinking….never mind," Emiko mumbled.

"If you have something to say, than just say it!" Katsu said in his 'I don't care, cause I'm a guy' voice.

"It's nothing," Emiko whispered as she snuggled into Katsu even more.

Author's Note: I finally got the second chapter done, so I hope you enjoyed it! It was a little boring and slow, but it sort of had to go in there. As you can see Katsu cares about Emiko even though she is a human, but he is too "macho" to admit it. A new character was introduced too and you are just beginning to learn about the mysterious fox demon leader.

The next couple of chapters will be more interesting than this one, I promise! Emiko will learn some things about her hidden past and when the demons find out will they accept her? You'll also meet more members of Katsu's clan. Oh, by the way I have a new rule. No new chapters until I get ONE review. 1 review equals 1 chapter. Till next time!

MusicAngel7


	3. Nice to meet you!

"Just what did I say about any perverted actions or thoughts?" a very upset female fox demon said, when Katsu and Emiko arrived in camp later. As Kirei marched on over, with her hands in fist, Katsu kneeled on the ground and gently released Emiko from his grasp. Staying by her side, as she steadied herself, Katsu waited for his sister's wrath.

"Kirei, for once it's not what you think, so go pester someone else for a change," Katsu snarled.

"Oh but big brother, if I pestered someone else, than it wouldn't be fun. No one blushes quite like you do," Kirei said giggling, "I see that someone's feeling better."

When they had arrived in the camp, Emiko immediately had recognized Katsu's younger sister, as she made her way over to them. Coldness consumed her as Katsu released her from his protective grasp. Though he released her willingly, she noticed how he remained close to her side, like a mother did its newborn pup.

"I'm feeling much better, thanks to you and Katsu," replied Emiko with a warm smile.

"Well that's good to hear. Why don't you tell us all about your little 'adventure' over some food? Some of the other girls and I got together and put together an enormous meal and it's about time you meet some of our friends here." Kirei said motioning to a large group of females by an open fire. The females were demons of every kind, age, etc. They hustled around, serving and preparing a massive amount of food.

"Food sounds heavenly right now!" exclaimed a very hungry human female. She hadn't realized how famished she was, until she saw the feast in front of her.

"Well, than let's go!" Kirei said as she grabbed Emiko's hand and dragged the young female off.

When Katsu saw his sister abduct the young maiden, he nearly ran to catch up with them. He was not about to let Emiko get out of his protection again, and knowing the females in his clan he could only imagine the drama that lay in store for them.

When they came up to the group, Kirei abandoned Emiko for a moment, as she ran up to one of the females and hugged her furiously. Kirei's poor victim this time was a dog demon with short spiked silver hair and large golden eyes. As the female dog demon broke from the fox demon's grasp she appeared to stand around the same height as Kirei, or maybe a little taller. From where Emiko stood speachlessly, she couldn't tell.

What caught Emiko's attention the most was the way she presented herself. The only way you could tell the dog demon was a female, was by the curves in her body. The demon's clothing was similar to that of a male's warrior outfit. The tight black body suit clung to her perfectly, while she wore light green armor over the body suit covering her private areas, elbows, shoulders, and the front of her legs. At her side were two swords, one that was worn out and very rusty, while the other looked like it had just been constructed.

When the two female demons were done attacking or hugging each other they turned their attention back to the silent couple. Some of the other females working in the area had also turned their gaze onto the male fox demon, and the female human. Kirei and her friend head over to Emiko and Katsu, as some on the females followed silently behind them.

"Emiko, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine. We've practically been together since birth. Our parents used to joke around about how when one of use would throw up, the other one would eat it. Emiko this is my good friend Tsuki," Kirei said motioning towards the dog demon.

"It is a great honor to meet you Miss Tsuki," Emiko said curtsying slightly. The dog demon Tsuki let out a small chuckle, before she said "It's nice to meet you too human, but if you ever call me 'miss' or 'lady' again, I will be forced to hurt you."

Katsu started to growl when he heard Tsuki's comment, but he caught himself before anyone heard him. Only someone whom had known Tsuki for as long as he and Kirei had would know her bark was worse than her bite. Not saying she was weak or anything, because she was anything but weak. Tsuki would never admit she was afraid or something and never backed down from a challenge. There were a few occasions where she even sent Kurai running with his tail between his legs.

"Tsuki, the day you get your girly little butt kicked for threatening someone, is the day I will die laughing," Katsu said smirking. The thought of someone beating up Tsuki would make anyone want to laugh.

"Girly! Katsu keep that up and I'll make sure you and your future mate never have pups!" Tsuki snarled. Before anyone could rip out anyone's throat, Kirei placed herself firmly between the two growling demons.

"Cut it out you two! Now this is what we are going to do, whether you like it or not! We are all going to get along and act like we actually like each other, while enjoying this wonderful meal that we worked so hard on. Got it? Now, Emiko, how about we find a good spot to sit down and eat in." As Kirei spoke she went from angry to pleasant in the blink of an eye. Her sudden mood change even made Emiko want to hide under a rock.

_I'd hate to see what she'd be like if she was pregnant, Emiko thought as she nodded her head_. Kirei grabbed Emiko hand swift fully and once again began to drag the victim off.

"Kirei, do they always argue like that?" questioned Emiko as Kirei continued to drag her.

"You thought that was arguing? Tsuki and my brother are both just….strong willed and stubborn. Whenever they see each other, they like to test each other by insulting them and such. It's all just part of their relationship." Kirei replied not looking back.

"Relationship?" Emiko asked.

"Their not each other's soul mates if that is what you are thinking. What I meant was as friends, that is how their bond grows. Do you get what I'm saying?" Kirei asked. Emiko was about to answer, when Kirei pointed to a spot under a large oak tree that was empty and unguarded. The two girls sprinted over to it as fast as they could and smiled at their victory when they reached the tree. Emiko landed on the ground with a thud, finally giving in to the demand from her body to take a rest.

"You know it is really amazing that you were able to last this long with wounds as bad yours. If you were a demon, than that would be no surprise, but for a human that is pretty amazing," Kirei pointed out as she sat down next to Emiko in the shade of the tree.

"Well, to tell you the honest truth I don't know how I manage to last this long either," Emiko admitted as she rubbed her aching muscles.

"You humans are always full of surprises." Kirei stated in a matter of fact kind of voice. Emiko looked at her to see she was smiling, instead looking disgusted like many of the demons did when they spoke about humans.

"Kirei, I was wondering if you could answer a question of mine. I've been thinking about it for a good while now, but haven't been able to figure something out. Why do humans and demons hate each other so much?" Emiko asked nervously. She didn't know whether to expect Kirei to be enraged with her or to laugh at her for being stupid. Kirei merely sat there for a minute, pondering over the question.

"Humans and demons have always hated each other. It's just been like that for as long as anyone can remember. Humans fear demons for their strength and difference, so they shun or kill us. Demons on the other hand belittle humans and find them to be inferior." Replied Kirei seriously. Even though Emiko had only known her for a few days, Kirei being serious was not normal. It just wasn't part of her system.

"I'm sorry I asked the question, I was stepping out of line and had no right to. I am sincerely sorry." Emiko whispered. Kirei looked at her for a moment, before she let out a large, full-hearted laugh.

"What just happened?" Katsu asked raising his eyebrow at the sight before him. After Kirei had dragged Emiko off to find a spot, Tsuki suggest they get some food and meet up with the two girls afterward. As much as Katsu wanted to stay by Emiko's side he knew that if he turned down Tsuki's offer she would become suspicious. He hurriedly grabbed whatever he could find, before he raced off after Emiko's scent.

He found the two females sitting in the shade of a large oak tree. From where he stood he could see serious expression written on both of their faces. Katsu let out a small growl when he discovered he was too far away to hear what they were saying.

Suddenly in the blink of an eye, Kirei fell onto the ground….laughing? Something was up with those two and he wanted to find out. Kirei clutched her side as she continued to laugh.

"Kirei please tell us what is going on. Kirei, please you are starting to scare me!" Emiko pleaded.

When Kirei heard Emiko's request she tried to settle down and get her laughs under control, which only led to more laughing. After a few more failed attempts she finally won the battle against her laughter, and slowly sat up.

"Emiko I have one thing to say to you and this is coming from my heart when I say you are too polite. You can afford to be rude sometimes you know and try not apologizing so much," suggested Kirei.

"Would some one explain to us what happened?" Katsu demanded as he sat down next to Emiko. He thrust a bowl of soup into Emiko's hands, while looking at his sister with demanding eyes. Tsuki placed the rest of their feast in the center of their little circle as she took her spot next to Kirei.

"It's nothing, so let's eat now!" Kirei said grabbing a bowl of rice and chicken. The fox demon stared for a moment, before he shook his head.

"Thank you Katsu and Tsuki for getting this yummy food. My stomach and I thank you!" cheered Emiko happily.

Tsuki and Kirei chatted and gossiped about the latest news, while occasionally pestering Katsu. The human maiden watched silently, while enjoying her meal. The three demons seemed so happy together, well except for when they were teasing each other, but even then they looked happy.

Much later, as the sun glared down on the earth below, while the human and male demon sat under the tree, simply enjoying life. The human rested against the tree peaceful, with the male fox demon lying beside her. The two female demons had left not too long ago to help clean up the mess that had been made preparing the meal.

"Katsu?" Emiko said wondering if the demon was still awake. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed, and looked rather peaceful. The only sign of him being awake was his 'Hmm' of a reply.

Katsu sat up suddenly, while giving a low and threatening growl. He could smell another male approaching, and they were getting closer. The fox demon did not want anyone getting too close to Emiko, while she was in such a weakened condition.

When the fox demon beside her let out a vicious growl, Emiko followed his gaze to see what the threat was. A tall, male wolf demon blissfully strolled over to the oak tree, whose shade they sat in.

The demon had short mud brown hair tied back into a pony tail and his brilliant deep blue eyes, held a certain mischief to them. His very well toned body was covered by black armor on his chest, back, forearms, private areas, and the front of his legs. As his long and smooth brown tail swished behind him, Emiko noticed the beautifully made sword that hung at his hip.

"Well, well, well, who is this beautiful creature you are trying to hide Katsu? I don't think I have had the honor of meeting you my dear," the wolf said pleasantly flashing a grin. Emiko rose to her feet quickly and extended her hand, as she said," Kind sir, it is a great pleasure to meet someone as kind and charming as your self. My name is Emiko," the young maiden said returning his smile. The wolf demon took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he placed a firm kiss on it, before he released it.

The moment that her hand left his, he was slammed into the oak tree behind them. Katsu's hand was squeezing the demon's throat, while the other clawed hand floated inches from his face. The wolf demon looked shocked for a moment, but the look was quickly replaced by a death glare.

"Just what the hell do you think you are doing?" the wolf demon snarled. Emiko ran and grabbed onto Katsu's arm and tried to pry him off of the wolf demon, but her efforts did nothing to help the situation.

"Katsu, what are you doing, you could kill him! Please stop this, I'm begging you. Katsu please, you are beginning to scare me," Emiko cried as she held onto his arm. She looked at him with teary and pleading eyes.

_What just happened? Why did he suddenly get so mad? Did I do something to upset him, or is it this wolf demon, Emiko thought._ Katsu's eyes, which had hints of red in them, turned back to normal, as he slowly let go of his prey.

"Don't you dare touch her, you mangy wolf. Stay the hell away from her, and you might just live!" the enraged fox demon threatened.

"What is your problem today? Slamming me into the tree, just for showing a beautiful young maiden the respect she deserves!" The wolf said, still glaring at the fox demon. His comment earned him another growl from Katsu.

"I'm deeply sorry for interrupting, but I don't believe I caught you name," Emiko chirped in, as she hoped it would end the hostility.

"My beautiful and fair maiden, I Yukio, your knight in shining armor, am at your service." The wolf watched as the Emiko blushed a furious color of red at his comment.

"Yukio is the biggest pervert, flirt, and heartbreaker here in our clan, so keep your distance from him." Katsu added in.

"What did you say? Never mind, I'll let it drop this time, because I have more important things to worry about. Jin's pups are missing, and we are to go find them, before they get hurt."

"They are missing again? I swear that woman needs to put her pups on a leash, if she wants to be able to watch them for more than two minutes. Hey wait a second, when did I volunteer myself for this?" Katsu questioned. Racing around the forest, chasing after a bunch of pups, was not his idea of fun.

"You didn't, your father did. Jin went to Kurai to see if he had seen them, but when he said 'no' he suggested we go find them for her, while she remain here, just incase they come back." Katsu was about to turn down the task, but when he heard his father had requested he go find the pups, he dared not say no to him.

"Fine, Emiko you stay here and don't move a muscle until I get back. I'll be back as soon as I can," Katsu said as he turned to leave.

"Till we meet again princess!" Yukio shouted as the two speed off.

Emiko watched silently as the two arguing demons made their way off to go find the missing pups. She desperately hoped and prayed they were alright. Their mother was probably worried sick about them, while they had fun just being kids.

As Emiko sat down in the comfort of the tree's shade, she thought about the wolf demon she had just met. She admitted that he was a little, forward, but he was overall nice. As to why Katsu disliked him, left Emiko perplexed.

A certain sound caught Emiko's attention. The sound of children playing could be heard, but as she looked around she saw no children in the area. Emiko knew she hadn't imagined and she as pretty sure she had not lost all sense of reason. When she heard the sound again, she listened more carefully, and heard it coming from somewhere in the forest behind her.

_It's the missing pups, Emiko thought excitedly._

_Have you forgotten what Katsu said? You just got back from you last little adventure, so don't go running off again! He is already mad at you remember, her common sense scolded her._

_But if it is the missing pups, than I could get them back to their mother faster! She must be so worried, and maybe by finding them, Katsu might forgive me, Emiko thought as she stood._

Before she knew, she found herself fighting off tree branches and twigs that grabbed at her hair and clothes. The sound of children's giggles and laughter grew louder as she marched on, deeper into the woods. When she reached a small clearing, with a small field of flowers, Emiko let out a sigh of relief when she saw the pups playing peacefully together.

As she crept over silently she counted three dog demon pups playing in the field of flowers. The two boys and girl appeared to be around the ages of 8 or 9, but with demons you couldn't be sure. The eldest looking red head boy shot his head up and turned in the direction Emiko was coming from. When he saw Emiko he took a defensive stand in front of his brother and sister, and let out the cutest little growl Emiko had ever heard.

"Be at peace little one, I mean you no harm. My name is Emiko, and I was told some pups were missing, so I came looking. Are you Jin's pups?" Emiko said sweetly, trying to convince the young ones she was no threat to them. The three red headed pups looked at her with wide eyes.

"How do you now our mama?" the eldest looking one said. This boy had short, wild cherry red hair and hazel eyes. He wore a plain and simple summer kimono that was a light green color. The smaller boy wore an almost identical kimono and had hair a lighter color than the elder brother.

"Mama told us never to talk to strangers, especially a backstabbing human," the little girl piped in. She was obviously the youngest of the three, with her slightly plump cheeks. Her long golden red hair was in a loose braid that went down to her lower back and wide eyes the color of seaweed. The little girl wore a light pink summer kimono.

"I'd be lying if I said I knew your mother, but that doesn't make me an enemy. Katsu, a fox demon, found me almost dead out in the woods and has been taking care of me ever since than. When you mother couldn't find you, she asked Katsu and Yukio to help her find you all. I heard your laughing, so I came looking and here I am now," Emiko replied moving slightly closer to the children. They stood their ground, which meant they were beginning to trust her, or they were really brave.

The girl popped out from behind her two brothers to get a better look at the human that stood before them. After a moment's hesitation, she sprinted over to where Emiko stood and came to a halt two feet in front of her. The girl dog demon sniffed Emiko, and then let a large smile cross both sides of her face.

"Miss Emiko is telling the truth, she smells like Katsu!" the young girl shouted with glee. When the boys heard their sister declare Emiko as safe, they were instantly standing with her, looking at Emiko with awe.

"I bet you've never met a human before, have you?" Emiko asked. All three heads shook 'no'. Emiko kneeled down to their height, as they came closer to her. The little girl poked Emiko square in the forehead as she giggle.

"I like you Miss Emiko, you're really pretty," the girl said through giggles.

"Um, why thank you, but I'd have to say you're cuter little one," Emiko shot back causing the girl to laugh even more.

"I'm not little one, my name is Sachi!" the girl protested.

"My name is Keiji, and I'm the oldest!" the older boy piped in with pride. Keiji appeared to be the proud older brother who protected his family.

"My name is Jiro," whispered the younger boy bashfully.

"It's very nice to meet all of you! Now, how about we get you back to your worried mother?" Emiko said sternly in a voice that meant she was in charge. These pups were so cute that Emiko wanted to stay out here with them longer, but she knew her number one priority was getting them back home to their parents.

The pups whined and protested for a little bit, but it suddenly stopped, as they stared wide eyed in terror. The two younger siblings ran for cover, behind Keiji, and shook with fear. From the way the pups were shaking, Emiko knew that this was no game.

She slowly turned, only to come face to face with a large snake demon. The snake demon was at least twice her height, with a large scaly green body. His blood red eyes looked hungrily at the human and three pups, as his long tongue flicked about in front of him.

"I am truly lucky to find a helpless human and pups out in the woods, practically begging to be eaten," the snake demon hissed with a slight slur. Emiko immediately put herself between the demon and the pups, glaring at the demon all the while. The three dog demon pups clung onto her skirt, as she addressed the demon, "You will not be eating anyone here I sorry to say. You will have to go through me to get to these pups."

"Ha, worthless human, do not make me laugh. You could not even save yourself, let alone three pups from any demon. If you wish to die so soon, than let me help you achieve that desire."

Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait, but I had no time to update. Finals in school are coming up, the whole deal with the court, and mission trip planning took up most of my time. I will try to do better on updating sooner. Anyways, I hoper you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was a little boring, but towards the end it got better. In the next chapter Emiko and the demon face off, and who knows who will win. Will she defeat the demon or die at his hands? Well, she is the main character, so she can't die, or maybe she can. Remember 1 review equals 1 update. Till next time!


	4. The Fight!

The pups whined and protested for a little bit, but it suddenly stopped as they stared wide eyed in terror. The two younger siblings ran for cover behind Keiji, and shook with fear. From the way the pups were shaking, Emiko knew that this was no game.

She slowly turned, only to come face to face with a large snake demon. The snake demon was at least twice her height, with a large scaly green body. His blood red eyes looked hungrily at the human and three pups, as his long tongue flicked about in front of him.

"I am truly lucky to find a helpless human and pups out in the woods, practically begging to be eaten," the snake demon hissed with a slight slur. Emiko immediately put herself between the demon and the pups, glaring at the demon all the while. The three dog demon pups clung onto her skirt, as she addressed the demon, "You will not be eating anyone here I sorry to say. You will have to go through me to get to these pups."

"Ha, worthless human, do not make me laugh. You could not even save yourself, let alone three pups from any demon. If you wish to die so soon, than let me help you achieve that desire."

Emiko was in way over her head, and she knew that. She also knew deep down in her heart, that there was no way she could defeat a full grown demon, but defeat and death were not an option for her right now. Katsu had done so much for her and she still had to repay him, not to mention if she died, then the pups would probably follow soon after.

"When I say 'now', I want you three to run away from here as fast as you can," Emiko whispered to the pups. She knew demons had exceptional hearing, but this demon seemed to not have heard.

"Miss Emiko, there is no way you could possibly defeat such a big demon all by yourself. We could never forgive ourselves if we just left you here to die," the eldest pup, Keiji whispered back.

"Don't worry young ones; I will not let anything happen to you until you are safely back in your mother's arms. If you do exactly as I say, then my plan will most likely work," Emiko said enthusiastically. A small sigh escaped her lips when the pups silently agreed. Truth be told, Emiko had no plan what so ever and simply planned on taking whatever fate threw her way.

Kneeling down ever so slowly, she quickly picked up a thick stick about the length of her arm, while she kept glaring at the demon. Standing tall with her pathetic excuse of a weapon pointed at the demon, she stood bravely. If all else failed, she would at least be able to buy the pups some time to find help or get back home.

When she whispered the signal the pups made a dash for the thick clumping of trees behind them. The three pups had an advantaged with their small size for once. Any adult or full grown demon would have a nearly impossible time making their way through the thick areas of trees.

_I can't let him get the pups no matter what, Emiko thought repeatedly._ As she thought her little chant over and over again in her head the snake demon began its charge. He decided to kill the human female in one strike and then get the fleeing pups.

To Emiko, the snake demon's attack seemed to come in slow motion. The world around her disappeared and melted away, as her opponent came at her like a snail, inching forward ever so slowly. Shaking hands squeezed her branch in front of her even tighter.

As she waited for death to come something unexpected happened and this event went totally unnoticed by the young female. While concentrating on the demon, an eerie blue light began to radiate off of her hands first, followed by the branch and soon all of her body. Her normally emotion filled eyes suddenly glazed over and turned the same blue color. The demon saw this change in the human, but before he had a chance to react it was all over. The snake demon had come too close to the human female, and in punishment his body was sliced in half by the tree branch.

When the demon was a mere foot of two away, Emiko shut her eyes closed tight so she would not have to see her death. She knew that attacking would do nothing, but as she raised the now glowing stick above her head and brought it down of the demon's body, a voice inside of her told her that everything would work out.

A high pitched screech reached the human's ears and slowly faded away. When she realized that the scream had not come from her, she slowly prided her eye lids open. Emiko uttered a small gasp as her wide eyes took in the sight before her. The snake demon's now dead body lay before her in two pieces, smoking and smoldering. Something had chopped the demon right down the center of his body.

"Lady Emiko!" a small girly voice shouted. Emiko mindlessly dropped the tree branch and turned in the direction of the voice to see the three pups galloping at her full force. Knocking the breath out of her, the pups flung their bodies at her. Somehow her shaking body managed to hug and kiss each of the energetic bundles of joy.

"Did you see who killed the demon?" her trembling voice quivered.

"Why you did of course Miss Emiko."

"How did you manage to do that?"

"Could we learn to do that?" The questions seemed endless, but Emiko answered most of them to the best of her ability. After much time Emiko finally had to say, "Now little ones, lets head back before we get attacked by another demon."

The youngest of the pups held out her tiny little clawed hands to show she wanted to be carried. Emiko let out a sigh as she kneeled down onto the ground to let the young pup climb onto her back. Sachi flung her hands enthusiastically around the young woman's neck when Emiko rose off of the ground.

Feeling a tug at her skirt she looked down to see the younger of the boys held up a hand bashfully. Shifting Sachi's weight on her back, she used one hand to hold onto the little girl's legs and the other hand held onto Jiro's hand. The eldest of the pups marched out into the forest, proudly leading the group back home.

The trip back to camp, through the now growing dark forest, was peacefully for the most part. There were absolutely no signs of the demons, but Keiji would occasionally jump out of the trees, hoping to scare the young female. To make the young pup feel better, Emiko would let out a pretty convincing scream and say something like "Wow, you scared me pretty good that time."

Keeping up with all the pup's games threatened to give Emiko a headache as they continued to walk back. As to how they could remember all the rules and names left Emiko perplexed. Weren't adults supposed to be smarter and have larger brains? Surely she could remember a few children's games.

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"Mommy!" The pups cried happily when they arrived back in camp later that evening. Sachi had long ago fallen asleep on Emiko back, and somehow managed to keep on snoozing through all the shouting and crying. The two young boys ran to their crying mother when they finally found her standing with Kurai, Katsu, Yukio, and the man that appeared to be their father.

"Thank the gods that you are both alright! What happened? Where is your sister?" the mother inquired while trying to stop her tears. Getting out of their mother's iron like grip the pups instantly ran to Emiko's side.

"We were playing in the forest, when Miss Emiko here found us. A big snake demon tried to eat us, but Miss Emiko blew it up!" Keiji said while acting it all out.

"The demon was at least 5 times Miss Emiko's height, but she still took it on. She chopped it in half with this weird glowing stick," Jiro quietly added in.

"Sachi fell asleep while Miss Emiko was carrying her back. Just like a little girl to fall asleep after something as exciting as that," Keiji declared seriously. The pup's mother along with everyone else looked at Emiko wide eyed, as they tried to figure out if the pups were telling the truth. Keiji was known to pull pranks on them and exaggerate the truth sometimes, but Jiro hardly ever lied.

"My guess is that you would like to see your little girl, so if you wouldn't mind could you please help get your daughter off my back," Emiko said finally. The looks that everyone was giving her was making her feel incredible uncomfortable. With a silent nod of her head, the mother instantly ran over and took her sleeping daughter off of Emiko back. Seeing the pup's mother kiss her sleeping daughter's head over and over again, filled Emiko's heart with much joy.

"Miss Jin, you have beautiful pups. I can imagine that other mothers are extremely jealous of you," Emiko uttered as pleasantly as she could considering the fact that she now had a bad case of yawns.

Her legs suddenly felt as though they were made of jelly or clay. She wobbled slightly to the left and then the right, before she felt her tired and aching legs give out from underneath her. Too tired to respond, Emiko waited to make bitter sweet impact with the ground.

"I think you have had enough fun for one day," Katsu whispered into her ear. It took Emiko a moment to realize that Katsu was holding her bridal style in his strong and protective arms. Snuggling up into his warm chest Emiko silently agreed.

As sleep clouded Emiko's mind, she heard mumbles around her. The strong arms that held her tightly carefully carried the exhausted woman back to the tiny tent she was currently calling home. Being gently laid down on the blankets and tucked into the bed Emiko pried her tired eye lids open. Katsu sat close by, watching intently like usual.

"Katsu?" her weak voice called.

"Don't worry Emiko, I'm right here and I'm not leaving you any time soon. Demons are a lot harder to get rid of then most people think," he said quietly, "I won't ask you to tell me what happened right now, seeing how warn out you are. The minute you are done resting, I'll be all over you like a bad cold."

Katsu flashed an honest and true smile as he said this. It wasn't the kind of smile you use when you were nervous or wanted everyone to think you were nice, but a smile that came from the heart. Emiko entered her own special world of dreams with a small smile played on her lips.

_You really are something different Emiko, Katsu thought. _

Author's Note: So ends another long awaited chapter of this story. I would like to thank all of the kind people who have reviewed so far, because without you I wouldn't have had to inspiration to continue on with the story. Until the next update!


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